<p>Auditions for the BFA programs continue this semester on January 28th, February 25th, and March 3rd as well as at the Chicago Unified Auditions. As they draw nearer, I thought I would go ahead and open up a thread allowing for any questions that auditionees and their parents (or anyone looking at Coastal in the future) might have. </p>
<p>I look forward to hopefully working with some of you on-campus! Break a leg to everyone, for all of their auditions.</p>
<p>Hello Alexa,</p>
<p>Thank you for being here to answer any questions.</p>
<p>My D is auditioning on Feb.25. We are driving up from Tampa and I have not booked a room yet. Can you recommend a hotel that is close to the campus? I know this is not a MT question, but if you happen to know that would be great!
We are very much looking forward to the audition!</p>
<p>douladifference…I may be able to help you with your question…My D is a sophomore MT, along with AlexaMT, and so we are in Myrtle Beach often…we have always had good luck at the Hampton Inn on route 501 in Conway. (I just happen to have the info here at the computer…it is Hampton Inn Myrtle Beach WEST, Highway 501, (843) 236-0045) It is pretty close to the school and lots of restaurants…the traffic on 501 can be rough, but it is usually worse coming FROM the school to the hotel (not really bad going from the hotel to the campus)…and in Feb. it won’t be as bad as it is, say, in season…but still, it should take you only 10 min. or so to get to the campus for your audition day…there are a few more hotels along 501 in case this one is booked, but we certainly have enjoyed our stays there…good luck to your D!! She will have a wonderful day, I can assure you!</p>
<p>@douladifference- my daughter is a freshman MT - I’ve taken a slightly different approach than my friend, theatrelvr 
With two kids out of state for MT, I am always looking for a deal and an adventure. Plus I like to be on the beach if at all possible…</p>
<p>The great thing about Myrtle Beach is that since it’s a resort town, you can get great deals in the off season. I don’t mind driving 20-30 minutes from the beach to campus, especially if I can find a deal. </p>
<p>Go to hotels.com and look up “Myrtle Beach (and vicinity)” and narrow your search to 3 star and above, 4/5 rating and under $100 or even $75, you will find a great selections - some of the prices are ridiculously low this time of year. A room that rents for $200 a night in high season may be as little as $40 a night in the off season. Don’t be afraid of the low prices! </p>
<p>When we visited in the fall to see Anything Goes, I found a condo that was under $40 a night including all taxes and fees! It was right on the beach - I stayed for 10 nights! There were also hotels in the same price range, but I needed to be able to sleep up 3-4 people. My sister stayed near the boardwalk at Aqua Beach Inn and was very pleased with the room for the money. When we were down for auditions last year, we split our time due to a second audition. We stayed one night at the Quality Inn in Conway - they offered a CCU discount. We were in the nonsmoking building in the back - it was clean and quiet, but it was a typical Quality Inn (the front building is smoking and the lobby is like walking into a bar). But… there is a great Mexican restaurant, El Patio, right in front/next door. Since it was my daughter’s winter break, leading up to auditions, we stayed a few days at Ocean Reef Resort on the beach - this is only a couple blocks from 79th Street and Atlantic Stage… I think I paid about $50 a night and it included breakfast (combo buffet and cooked to order). For orientation, I found the best price at the Sheraton Convention Center (thru Hotwire) - an easy walk to lots of restaurants and the beach. During move in, I booked thru Hotwire again, and ended up at the MB Clarion - it was about $50 a night and was half way between the beach and the school - it’s not fancy, but it was fine for the amount of time I spent there. You may want to look at Wild Wing Resort near campus - it’s condos but you can rent by the night. Hotels.com has them for that weekend for $82 per night if you stay for 2 nights. A standard 2 bedroom sleeps 5 and has a full kitchen. They look nice and they have so much more space than a hotel - nice after a long day on the road. </p>
<p>Hope this helps…
Break a Leg!</p>
<p>My hat is off to you do-what-u-luv! I will let you plan my next vacay Sounds like you found some great deals… see you soon!</p>
<p>Going for a campus visit during my junior D’s Mardi Gras break. You just helped me tremendously do-what-u-luv!</p>
<p>I love CC!!</p>
<p>Like do-what-you-luv, I usually stay at the beach when I’m there. All of the resources she listed are great! I have stayed at the Clarion as well and while not at the beach, it is on the waterway and I have found it to be almost deserted on weekends (it’s primarily a convention hotel) so I have the lovely pool and hot tub all to myself. I have also stayed at the Staybridge Suites (same area) when I wanted a full kitchen and have gotten some nice deals there as well.</p>
<p>Another resource to check is [Myrtle</a> Beach Vacation Rentals Deals & Specials Myrtle Beach Hotels and Condos](<a href=“http://www.staymyrtlebeach.com/]Myrtle”>http://www.staymyrtlebeach.com/). You can get some really good offers on condos through the site. </p>
<p>Break legs to all who are auditioning!!</p>
<p>Oh, the condo I got in November, I booked thru vrbo.com - it’s sort of the craigslist of condos/houses. </p>
<p>I’ve used craigslist to sublet in NYC, but I’ve found vrbo.com to have more listings in MB - sometimes you then get links to other rental sites that can be helpful. Owners post the same condo on several sites and some have more info than others.</p>
<p>mom2them - I’m sure any of our girls would love to show you around campus and the dept. and give you ideas on places to eat as well :)</p>
<p>theatrelvr & austinmtmom - sorry I won’t be coming in for Big Foot! Break a Leg to your girls!
theatrelvr - we will be in your area next weekend for MIL’s 90th bday!
austinmtmom - no plans to come your way, but will keep you posted lol</p>
<p>Thank you ALL so very much for your suggestions! This site is amazing!</p>
<p>douladifference and others-you are in good hands with the suggestions of all of the great coastal parent posters. we have stayed a number of places, so don’t have too much to add. hard to beat the hampton on 501 for proximity and an overall good property. we have stayed at marina inn grande dunes twice (pricey, but i had the good fortune to get a great rate < 90 on a caribbean suite on 2 occasions the first year). we’ve also stayed at kingston plantation, but i find the choices there overwhelming when it is just 2 of us. we have ended up at hilton garden inn several times too–such comfy beds and 5 min to the airport for a 5:30 am flight. look for a hiltonhonors mvp code to get a really low rate here. we expect to stay in a condo on the beach in march for laramie, as family will be joining us, so i appreciate all of your tips do-what-you-love.</p>
<p>now to the “real” reason i decided to post . . . sending best wishes and bal to all auditionees. as hard as it is to do, i feel sure you will find coastal to be a place where you (or your kids) can relax and have fun with the day. many of the parents who post here (and others) will be in town this weekend for Bigfoot so please don’t hesitate to seek us out for a word of encouragement and/or just to introduce yourselves. hope to meet some of you!</p>
<p>So… d is auditioning tomorrow. Wondering if we need to catch breakfast before or if there’s coffee/muffins, etc. offered there. It’s funny…some schools do, some have NOTHING. It’s a crap shoot! Shenandoah did a nice little breakfast / coffee thing and then free lunch vouchers so you got to really taste the dining hall food. Great idea, I think. Just wanting to plan accordingly. Thanks!</p>
<p>Try to catch a quick bite for beakfast before you go, if you can. We were there for auditions in November, and they provided a lovely lunch. What was especially nice about it was that the professors mingled with the auditionees during that time, so it was a great opportunity to just get to know everyone.</p>
<p>Great, thanks! Will do…we’re excited for the audition. Regardless of outcome, they are all great learning experiences. Thanks again.</p>
<p>Thanks to all of the moms for their expertise. The parents of CCU kids may be more enthusiastic than we are. ;)</p>
<p>Also thanks Georgia30720 for answering the above question. We don’t provide breakfast but we do provide a sandwhich-type lunch with the students and faculty outside in the courtyard. It will hopefully be as pretty tomorrow as it was today so it’ll be a relaxing little lunch.</p>
<p>We try to make it worth the trip to campus, so hopefully the workshops and general atmosphere (plus seeing a show!) will be enjoyable for everyone.</p>
<p>See you all bright and early. :)</p>
<p>Making us feel more than welcome, AlexaMT You’re adorable, running a smooth ‘show’ and the weather you ordered up special for us is fab! Thanks!</p>
<p>If anyone is auditioning tomorrow or next Saturday (March 3rd), feel free to post any questions you may have and let me know! I am extremely excited for the final 2 rounds of auditions!</p>
<p>I do have a question. Will the kids who audition tomorrow hear next week or will they have to wait until after the March 2 auditions? If the latter how soon after the 2nd should we expect to hear something?</p>
<p>Via Ken Martin: No one will hear from the February 25th or March 3rd auditions until mid-March. Last year the date was around March 15th, and so we’re hoping to match that again, but no promises can be made.</p>
<p>I did ask Alexa to answer the question. Since there is so little time between the auditions on the 25th and on the 3rd we likely won’t do much between the two dates. Following the 3rd we will meet quickly and begin the final deliberations. If all goes well, we will know quickly following the last audition date. </p>
<p>Since we decide as a group, we all need to be together. Sometimes getting everyone together is a challenge unto itself. We will work as quickly as we can and my hope is early in the month. But I make no promises.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for the speedy and thorough response. It is much appreciated.</p>